Copper is well-known as a monovalent activator in some orthophosphates (Wanmaker, W. L. and Bakker, C., J. Electrochem. Soc. 106, 1027, 1959) with an emission maximum at 490 nm.
The ground state of monovalent copper is a filled shell 3d10. That is the level 1S0. After exciting the lowest excited configuration is 3d94s. This configuration has two terms, 3D and 1D. The next higher configuration, 3d94p, gives 6 terms 3Po, 3Fo, 3Do, 1Fo, 1Do and 1Po. The transitions between the ground state 1S0 and the 1D and 3D are forbidden by parity or spin, respectively. In copper ions the excitation to the crystal field levels of 4p terms are allowed. Emission will be got either by a direct return from the crystal field odd state to the ground state or by a combination of transitions first from the odd state to a crystal field level and after that a second transition from these 3D or 1D state of the 3d94s configuration to the ground state.
The ground state of bivalent copper has 3d9-configuration. That is the level 2D5/2. In the bivalent copper one of the d-electrons can be excited to the 4s or 4p orbital. The lowest exciting configuration is the 3d84s with two quartet terms 4F, 4P and four doublet terms, 2F, 2D, 2P and 2G without emission caused by forbidden transitions. The higher exciting configuration is the 3d84p-configuration with four terms 4Do, 4Go, 4Fo, and 4Po, where emission can occur.
Copper (I) activated or co-activated sulphide-phosphors are well known and they are commercial used for cathode ray tubes. The green-emitting ZnS:Cu, Al (copper=activator, Al=co-activator) is very important in CRT applications.
In zinc-sulphide phosphors the luminescence can be classified into five kinds, depending on the relative ratio of the concentration of activators and co-activators (van Gool, W., Philips Res. Rept. Suppl., 3, 1, 1961). Here the luminescent centers are formed from deep donors or deep acceptors, or by their association at the nearest-neighbor sites (Phosphor Handbook, edited under the Auspice of Phosphor Research Society, CRC Press New York,
Orthophosphates activated by monovalent copper (Wanmaker, W. L., and Spier, H. L., JECS 109 (1962), 109), and pyrophosphates, alumosilicates, silicates, tripolyphosphates all activated by copper (I) are described in “Keith H. Butler, The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1980, S. 281”. Such phosphors can only be used for a short wave U.V. excitation, they are not excitable by longerwave radiation above about 350 nm. Because of their unstable chemical properties and their temperature behavior they cannot be used in fluorescent lamps.
The influence of copper ions as host lattice component in oxygen dominated compounds, activated by rare earth ions such as Eu2+, Ce3+ and others has not yet been described until now. From the theory of luminescent and solid state chemistry it should to be expected that the incorporation of copper as a host lattice component influences the luminescent-optical properties positively regarding improved luminescent intensity as well as desirable shifting of emission maxima, color points, shape of emission spectra and stabilizing of the lattice.
The influence of copper-ion as a component in a solid state mixed crystal should show improved luminescent properties for excitation wavelength higher than 360 nm. In this region of wavelength copper does not show own radiation transfers due to the energy levels of its electron configuration, so that any kind of exciting radiation can't be lost.
Copper containing luminescent mixed crystals or solid solutions should show improved emission intensities compared to luminescent materials having not that component in the host lattice. Furthermore, as a desirable effect copper containing luminescent mixed materials should show a shifting of the emission wavelengths to higher or to lower energies. For mixed crystals containing copper as a basic element this ion doesn't react as activator but the use of this ion leads to an influence of the crystal field splitting as well as the covalence, because copper (II) has a smaller radius (about 60 pm) and the electro-negativity (1.8) is higher than these of Barium, Strontium and Calcium (1). Furthermore, Cu (II) has a positive electrochemical reduction potential of +0.342 in contradiction to the negative potential of Alkaline Earth metals (−2.8 to −2.9).
Here an additional influence should to be expected. Due to the higher ionic potential of copper as a quotient of ionic charge and ionic radius compared to the bigger alkaline earth ions the copper ions can attract the neighboring oxygen ions stronger than the alkaline earth ions. So the substitution of the bigger alkaline earth ions Ca, Sr and Ba by copper leads to a changed crystal field in the surrounding of the activator ions, too. Thus the shape of emission bands can be influenced, the shifting of the emission peak to longer wavelength is connected with a broadening of the emission curves for band emission. Additionally it should be possible to increase the intensity of emission by substitution of copper ion for other basic metal ions. Generally the shifts of emission peaks to longer as well as to shorter wavelength are desirable in the field of LED lighting. Here it is necessary to realize a fine tuning to get a special wavelength for special color points as well as for better brightness of optical devices. By using the basic cation copper for substituting other cations like Ba, Sr, Ca, Mg, Zn and others such a fine tuning should be possible.
It is known, that some luminescent materials and phosphors and also Alkaline Earth Silicate phosphors are unstable in water, air humidity, water steam or polar solvents. For instance silicates with orthorhombic as well as Akermanite or Merwinite structures show more or less high sensitivity to water, air humidity, water steam or polar solvents caused by high basicity. Due to a higher covalence and a lower basicity as well as a positive reduction potential the incorporation of copper in a host lattice should improve this behavior of luminescent materials against water, air humidity and polar solvents if substituted for cations with a high basicity and a strongly negative reduction potential.